Acceleration

Early Entrance to Kindergarten- The district process for early entrance to kindergarten can be found here.

Whole Grade Acceleration- (K-8 only)- In rare instances, students in grades K-8 may have academic and intellectual needs that can be met by placing the student in a higher grade level. Students will be assessed on the Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS). To qualify for whole grade acceleration students must NOT have any check marks in the “Critical Items” section, AND score a minimum of 46 total points.

Step 1: Parent/guardian must submit a written request to the principal.

Step 2: Principal and AIG specialist meet with the parent/guardian to explain the acceleration process.

Note: If the student is ALREADY enrolled in OCS, the testing can be completed by OCS psychologists. Families of enrolled students may choose to have an independent psychologist complete the testing; however, the family is then responsible for the cost of testing. If the student is NOT already enrolled in OCS, families are responsible for the procurement and cost of testing by an independent psychologist. Guidelines for Independent Evaluation can be found here.

Step 4: The IAS is completed with input from the AIG specialist, classroom teacher, and parents.

Step 5: The IAS data is shared with the principal.

Step 6: The principal makes a placement decision, and a results letter is sent to the parent/guardian.

Single Subject Acceleration- Single subject acceleration is available in ELA and math in grades 3-8.

Note: In grades 3-5, students may pursue single subject acceleration in ONE subject. Students in grades 3-5 who are well above grade level in both reading and math should consider whole grade level acceleration.

ELA Process

Math Process

Grades 3-7

Step 1: Parent/guardian must submit a written request to the principal.

Step 2: Student completes a 2-phase assessment of skills:

Phase I: Demonstration of mastery: student must earn a score of 90% or higher on the comprehensive benchmark assessment of the grade level subject they wish to skip.

Phase II: Writing sample: student must score at or above the grade level they wish to skip on a writing sample.

Step 3: The assessment data is shared with the principal.

Step 4: The principal makes a placement decision, and a results letter is sent to the parent/guardian.

Grades 3-5

Step 1: Parent/guardian must submit a written request to the principal.

Step 2: Student completes a 2-phase assessment of skills:

Phase I: Demonstration of mastery: student must earn a score of 90% or higher on the comprehensive benchmark assessment of the grade level subject they wish to skip.

Phase II: Performance task: student must score at or above the grade level they wish to skip on math performance tasks.

Step 3: The assessment data is shared with the principal.

Step 4: The principal makes a placement decision, and a results letter is sent to the parent/guardian.

Grade 8

Students in 8th grade are eligible to take English I and receive a high school credit upon successful completion of the course. Placement in English I in 8th grade is based upon a body-of-evidence that shows readiness for high school level work while still in middle school.

Grades 6-8

Orange County Schools offers compacted math pathways for students wishing to pursue advanced mathematics at an accelerated pace.

Compacted Pathway 1:

Grade 6- Math 6 Plus

Grade 7- Math 7 Plus

Grade 8- Math I (high school course for credit)

Compacted Pathway 2:

Grade 6- Math 6 Plus OR Math 7 Plus

Grade 7- Math I (high school course for credit)

Grade 8- Math II (high school course for credit- taken via NCVPS.)

Credit by Demonstrated Mastery- Middle and high school students may apply to earn credit for eligible high school courses without having to complete the seat time in the course through the Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) process. More information on CDM can be found here.

Dual Enrollment Opportunities- High school students may earn college credit via dual enrollment:

College and Career Promise (CCP)- Career and College Promise (CCP) provides seamless dual enrollment educational opportunities for eligible North Carolina high school students in order to accelerate completion of college certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees that lead to college transfer or provide entry-level job skills. You can learn more about CCP here.

Middle College High School at Durham Tech- Middle College High School (MCHS) at Durham Technical Community College is an opportunity for 11th and 12th grade students to earn college credit while in high school. Located on Durham Tech’s campus, MCHS consists of students (approx. 150) from three school districts: Durham Public Schools, Orange County Schools, and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. You can learn more about MCHS here.

Dual Enrollment- Dual Enrollment is a plan which allows high school students to meet the requirements for high school graduation while at the same time earning college credit during the regular school day. Orange County Schools is currently involved in partnerships with two post-secondary institutions: Alamance Community College and Durham Technical Community College. These institutions will offer mutually agreed-upon courses for dual credit to eligible students during the fall and spring semesters of each academic year. Interested students should see their guidance counselor for more information.

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB)- Students have exposure to college-level material in a variety of AP and IB courses. Students may also have the opportunity to earn college credits for AP or IB courses, depending on their exam results and the policies of the college or university they will attend. AP courses are offered at CRHS and OHS. IB courses are offered at CRHS only. You can learn more about AP and IB in the course registration guide here.

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